The Scent of Becoming

Abstract

The Scent of Becoming" by Lalitha Sridevi J. meditates on fragrance as a metaphor for identity and transience. Once raw and intimate—like crushed petals whispering to the self—it now lingers in commodified incense and atomizers, promising belonging amid branded shelves. Yet both natural whiffs of jasmine and misty rain dissolve like human choices, evaporating into traces not of past selves, but of ongoing transformation. Through sensory evaporation, the poem captures how we are remembered by our evolving essence.